Sacramento County Sheriff Speaks on On-Duty Deaths

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SACRAMENTO-

News of the two slain New York Police Department officers gave overwhelmed Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones.

Just two months ago, Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Oliver was also shot and killed in the line of duty.

“I feel grief for the families and the department. I know exactly what they're going through and what Chief Bratton is feeling right now,” Sheriff Jones said. “New York was an ambush, and Danny's occurred while he was taking enforcement actions. But I guess Danny didn't have a lot of warning. You can’t help but draw parallels. We even had an officer that died in Florida since the officers were killed in New York, so it just keeps happening.”

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, there has been an 11 percent increase in the number of “Line of Duty” deaths this year, compared to 2013.

“It’s not a New York thing. It’s not a Pennsylvania or Las Vegas thing. It’s a law enforcement thing,” Jones said.

He said it is a risk everyone wearing a badge knows going into the job.

In light of the NYPD officer slayings, Jones says he has not instructed his patrol deputies, who already rear bullet proof vests, to physically add safety precautions. But he has instructed them to be even more vigilant to prevent future incidents.

“After this, we don't want copy cats, they see all the attention ad drama associated with the New York case, so we don't want someone saying ‘Oh, I want that excitement and attention for myself.’” Jones said.

He said criminals will not defeat the men and women in uniform. Those lost in the line of duty are gone, but will never be forgotten.

“I don't want our tragedy to define us,” he said. “We've been through it before in our careers, and we've had a couple of line of duty deaths, but that never defines us. In some respects, it hones us and makes us stronger as an organization and recommitted to the things we are supposed to be doing. I think that’s how we've emerged out of this tragedy.”